Crossfit and Elk Hunting

[john_tn]

Does anybody have a specific Crossfit training regimen for Elk hunting? I know season is just a month away but I want to start preparing for the high altitude. I live in TN so the Altitude in CO kills me. Any advice?

 

[robie]

There is no such thing as preparing for altitude!

I've looked into all kinds of options. I have a prescription of Diamox, it helped last year as I normally get physically ill the first couple of days and was able to keep my lunch down and no headaches with it. Will be drinking as much water as humanly possible and taking some of the wilderness athlete altitude advantage to help.

Getting in the best shape possible is the only thing you can do. Several people have suggested interval training and that running milage alone won't do as much. I'm doing this (different days not all at once)
Run 400, rest twice as long as it took you. Repeat x4
Run 800, rest twice as long as it took you. Repeat x4
Rum Mile, walk same amount of time. Repeat x3

 

[zman]

On the crossfit front, get in there 4+ days a week. You'll be hunting every day, no rest days.
Interval training is great, throw in some swimming if you can. Something about the lack of being able to breathe constantly while swimming seems to help with the altitude. I don't have any science behind that but others here have said the same thing.

 

[john_tn]

Swimming sounds like a good idea. I think I could do that on my rest days.

 

[john_tn]

There is no such thing as preparing for altitude!

I've looked into all kinds of options. I have a prescription of Diamox, it helped last year as I normally get physically ill the first couple of days and was able to keep my lunch down and no headaches with it. Will be drinking as much water as humanly possible and taking some of the wilderness athlete altitude advantage to help.

Getting in the best shape possible is the only thing you can do. Several people have suggested interval training and that running milage alone won't do as much. I'm doing this (different days not all at once)
Run 400, rest twice as long as it took you. Repeat x4
Run 800, rest twice as long as it took you. Repeat x4
Rum Mile, walk same amount of time. Repeat x3

I got a prescription for altitude last year but when I got to the pharmacy they told me they would have to special order it and it was expensive as heck. I usually have a mild headache the first couple days at 11500 ft.

 

[robie]

I got a prescription for altitude last year but when I got to the pharmacy they told me they would have to special order it and it was expensive as heck. I usually have a mild headache the first couple days at 11500 ft.

You must have gotten something different. Diamox is dirt cheap. I think mine was $5.

 

[john_tn]

You must have gotten something different. Diamox is dirt cheap. I think mine was $5.

Not sure. I think the main problem was my local pharmacist couldn't place an order just to fill my script, he had to order a larger amount of it. It would have sit on the shelf for years because nobody in a town of 4000 in TN buys that stuff. I should have checked in a larger town.

 

[MOshorthair]

I live in Missouri so I can't really get ready for altitude. My wife and I planned our vacation to go hiking in Colorado. Seems like the more time you can spend at altitude the easier it gets. I take the stuff from Wilderness Athlete for Altitude not really sure of the name. I can't say 100% that it works, but I can't say that it doesn't. Drink plenty of water and I like to workout during the hottest most humid part of the day. It's harder to catch my breath and it's more taxing on the body. I focus on leg and core work, so I will do weighted step ups, squats, mtn. climbers, getting used to hiking with a load on my back. Also, sprint work. On Sunday I did a 10 minute EMOM of 200 m runs rest 5 minutes and did a second 10 EMOM of 200 m runs. I also will do back squats, front squats and row on a regular basis. You might check out Train 2 Hunt's web page they have some good workouts there, but it will cost you a subscription. I think they have a free trial though.

 

[Arbutusbucks]

As a guy that does some crossfit training and also does some elk hunting I would say drop some of your crossfit WODs and just hike with a pack on the steepest hills you can find. I would agree that crossfit is the best all around program for just about everything. However, if you already know you are going to be hiking your butt off all week, the best training will be just that, hiking your butt off.

As for the alititude I take ginko biloba starting about a week before the hunt and have not had a problem, not saying it works I just have not had a problem so I am now afraid not to take it before the trip.

 

[elkyinzer]

Find steep hills, hike, repeat as much as possible in the next month. Hard to replicate mountains in a gym but high rep squats and lunges in many different variations are probably your best bet.

 

[bates]

As others have said be consistent and get in as many times as possible.

I also threw in weighted lunges at the end of a work out or two each week, plus get some time in a weighted pack.

I personally looking back on my past 2 elk hunts feel i felt better in the mountains when i was crossfitting 3 to 5 times per week, than last year when i crossfitted maybe 1x per week but was running 3 to 4 times per week.


i am now playing around with a mix of the run but getting time on a stair stepper and wearing a pack to compare my results.

I've also taken both the mtn ops and wilderness athlete attitude and hydration type products with great success, might be more placebo effect than anything but i felt great on both in the mountains.

 

[Vids]

I'm not much help as to your question, as I just started crossfit a couple months ago. The class I take is actually a variation called FIT - lower weight, higher reps, plyometrics, core exercises, more running involved. Very little rest time.

I can tell it's helping with strength and endurance, it's much higher intensity than when I run/hike alone so that's definitely a good thing. My personal feeling so far is it's great, but I wouldn't want to skip hiking with a loaded pack for it. No substitute for the real thing. I feel like a balance of 3-4 days/week of crossfit plus 2-3 runs and at least one loaded hike is a good mix for me. Swimming is great too, I just haven't done much of that lately.

The thing I like best so far is it's helped me readjust my expectations for workout intensity. It makes me realize how much harder I can push myself, so now I'm going harder on my runs and hikes when not in class. I'm curious to see how I feel in the hills in 5 weeks. The extra strength and core work will be helpful for sure. I'm just curious to see if less running and more upper body work is helpful or not.

 

[jmez]

I think it all depends on the particular gym and their programming. I've been doing Crossfit for about three years. Las year I decided that was all I was going to do for training and see how it prepared me vs previous years when I did Crossfit, a lot of weighted hikes and biking. I was well prepared and in good enough shape. I think weighted pack hikes in the hills really helps however. I could tell a difference the first few days on the trip when I got under the pack.

I'm not a fan of straight Metcon conditioning and there are a lot of gyms that program that way. If all the workouts are 12 minutes or less I'd look elsewhere. We do quite a mix at the gym I use. They will vary from 6 minutes to around 50 minutes. We also do quite a bit of running, rowing and biking. The weights are variable as well. Some days are designed to be light and have you fly through them and others after a couple of reps you wonder if you'll even be able to pick it up again. Look through the WOD thread, there are a ton of workouts posted in there.

A lot of different ways to prepare to hunt and most will work. The important thing is that you get into good physical condition, doesn't really matter how you get there IMO. One of the guys I hunt with does a lot of long distance running. The only time I run distance is when they make me at the gym, 5K is as far as I've ever run and I hate that. We are both in equal shape when we hunt. I couldn't go run 6 miles with him and he couldn't finish a lot of the 10 minute work outs that I do.

Talk to the owner, tell him/her what your goals are for your fitness and then have them explain to you how their program will meet those goals. Most gyms post their WOD every day on a website. Look through them and see how much variety there is.

 

[Ridge Ghost]

This. Crossfit is great for all-around fitness. Their buzzword is "general physical preparedness". However, whatever your sport, you will be even better served by training sport-specific.

Most Crossfit programs lean towards shorter wods to train intervals, power, strength, etc. Mountain hunting is more of an endurance sport, so you should incorporate more distance workouts than what Crossfit trainers typically program. As someone who follows 5/3/1 barbell programing and crossfit wods most of the year, I change things up the last month or two before hunting season. I drop my 5/3/1 to one day a week, and swap a few crossfit wods a week for longer rucks, backpack stair climbs, trail runs, etc. I feel way better in the mountains following this type of programming than when I was strictly doing Crossfit.

As a guy that does some crossfit training and also does some elk hunting I would say drop some of your crossfit WODs and just hike with a pack on the steepest hills you can find. I would agree that crossfit is the best all around program for just about everything. However, if you already know you are going to be hiking your butt off all week, the best training will be just that, hiking your butt off.

As for the alititude I take ginko biloba starting about a week before the hunt and have not had a problem, not saying it works I just have not had a problem so I am now afraid not to take it before the trip.

 

[john_tn]

I've been doing crossfit for about 3 years. I go to mayhem so the programming is top notch. I'm going to go hiking with a seventy pound Pack this weekend and see how it goes.

 

[ethan]

John, Crossfit and doing rucks with your buddies works wonders!! See you Saturday!